Youth farmworker safety and health: A North Carolina pilot study

Agriculture is one of the most dangerous industries, yet children as young as 10 years of age are allowed to work on farms in the U.S. These agricultural jobs seldom offer the same occupational safeguards present in other industries.  However, little research has addressed the occupational safety and health of youth farmworkers.  The objective of this study is to describe the occupational safety and health characteristics of youth farmworkers in North Carolina.  Data are from a cross-sectional survey of 87 youth farmworkers who completed interviewer administered questionnaires.  Participants included 54 boys and 33 girls with 23 (26%) aged 10-13, 34 (39%) aged 14-15, and 30 (35%) aged 16-17.  Most participants (78%) were born in the US, and 75% were attending school.  The crops in which most of the youth worked included tobacco, berries, and sweet potatoes.  Few had received recent training in pesticides (6%), tool use (14%), or machinery (7%).  Work safety climate was limited; 32% reported safety equipment being available, 45% felt that taking risks was part of their job, and 38% felt their supervisor was only interested in doing the job fast and cheaply.  Ten percent reported being the victim of sexual harassment.  In the past year, 54% reported experiencing a musculoskeletal injury, 60% a traumatic injury, and 72% a dermatological injury.  The results from this pilot project indicate a need for improving occupational safety policy for youth farmworkers, as well as the need for more detailed research on the safety climate and health effects of their work.